The Four Time Wasters That Really Add Up

After 60+ years as an inbound call center, we’ve seen all the unintentional time wasters there are. (Plus some creative intentional ones.)

Intentional or not, it’s the small things that really add up. Most people know when they’ve just blown an hour on a dead end task, but few recognize when they’ve lost five minutes.

So let’s talk details and make 2016 the year of productivity!

1. Seriously, that email about lol Catz can wait.

Now, I love an adorable kitty and I can appreciate a hilarious meme, but in the middle of my day I really don’t have the time to be sending back snappy comments. And if you’re reading this blog I think it’s safe to say you don’t either. So follow this rule of thumb. If it isn’t work related and you have work piling up, it’s going to have to wait until the end of the day.

Sorry Kitty : (

2.You’re spending too much time on emails.

Let’s be honest, the only people who have the time to read your entire four paragraph email are your virtual receptionists, and that’s only because our sole role is to read every single word with care. But not many others have the time to read it and not to mention the twenty additional minutes it would take to reply.

So follow the time management golden rule. If you can read and reply in two minutes do it, if it takes any longer save it for later.

3. You don’t give yourself designated email times.

So I’ve told you to hold off on responding to your emails, but now they’re just sitting in your inbox. Mocking you.

Some people prefer to take ten minutes at the end of every hour to answer emails, others thirty minutes every two or three. It’s your own preference. The important take away is that you make some planned time in your day for big emails so you don’t interrupt what you’re doing to reply to them. (And yes, you can take this time to giggle at a LOL Catz email, you deserve it.)

4. You’re distracted…again!

Okay, so I am the worst for this. It takes nothing to distract me and before I know it I’m looking back at my computer screen and thinking, “Now, what was I about to type?”

Ugh, such a simple time waster!

So what do you do when you’re easily distracted? Simple, you invest in some good earbuds or headphones and you reduce the noise around you.

Personally, I’m partial to headphones, but not everyone likes the look. But no matter which one you chose, you can’t argue with their success. You can put on some white noise, or you can just enjoy the reduced sound around you. (Personally, I rock out to some Sinatra.)

So there you have it. Four more ways you are wasting time and losing productivity. Now go out there and be the best most productive you, you can be <3